Inter have stolen a march in the Serie A title race as the champions reach the halfway point of the campaign in pole position with arch-rivals Juventus out in the cold.
Under Antonio Conte, Inter broke almost a decade of Juve dominance when they claimed their 19th league championship last season and have defied expectations following a turbulent summer to hold onto top spot at Christmas.
With key figures in that triumph, Romelu Lukaku, Achraf Hakimi and Conte all gone, and Christian Eriksen now officially no longer a Serie A player, few expected Inter to retain their crown under new boss Simone Inzaghi while the return of Massimiliano Allegri at Juve was seen as a sign of intent to take the crown back to Turin.